Europe Increases Energy From Offshore Wind Turbines But The Rate Of Growth Is Expected To Slow

The number of European offshore wind turbines increased over the first six months of 2013, but financing new projects will likely slow, according to officials.

“Offshore wind power installations were significantly higher than in the first six months of last year," Justin Wilkes, director of policy at the European Wind Energy Association, or EWEA, said. "But financing of new projects has slowed down with only one project reaching financial close so far this year.”

In the past six months, 277 new offshore wind turbines came online, which totaled 1,045 megawatts (MW) and were fully grid connected in Europe. One MW of energy can sustain about 1,000 homes for one hour.

The total offshore capacity in Europe is now 6,040 MW in 58 wind farms across 10 countries, up from 4,336 MW in June 2012, according to the EWEA publication.

"Offshore wind is a new industry that creates jobs, reduces fossil fuel imports, and in which Europe is a world leader with huge export opportunities,” Wilkes said. “But to attract investment to the sector, governments need to provide a stable regulatory framework, and the EU should set a binding renewable target for 2030," Wilkes said.